African Union chief John Kufuor met Kenyan leaders on Wednesday to try to break a political deadlock following disputed presidential polls that sparked widespread violence and left at least 600 dead. President Mwai Kibaki, whose re-election 11 days ago triggered the unrest, denied there was any national crisis in his meeting with Kufuor.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards accused the United States of fabricating footage claiming to show Iranian speedboats harassing US warships in the Strait of Hormuz, state television reported. ”The footage released by the US Navy are file pictures and the audio has been fabricated,” a source in the naval section of the Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying.
The Erasmus commission, set up to probe Cape Town’s ”spy” saga, has extended the deadline for submissions to the end of this month. Announcing this on Wednesday, commission secretary Zithulele Twala said the extension had been requested by the City of Cape Town and private investigators George Fivaz and Associates.
Shortages of teachers and textbooks and belated efforts to enrol children were some of the problems plaguing public schools on the first day of term on Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said. ”It’s clear that the shortage of classrooms and teachers is dire. One teacher told us that there are between 60 and 70 children to one class.”
South Africa are preparing for West Indies captain Chris Gayle to play in the third and deciding Test match starting at Kingsmead on Thursday, even though he has officially been ruled out of action. ”We’re preparing as if he’s going to play,” Proteas captain Graeme Smith said on Wednesday.
South Africa’s Business Confidence Index (BCI) dropped to 94,8 in December 2007 after the BCI declined to 95,8 in November 2007, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Wednesday. The December 2007 figure is the lowest BCI level since November 2003 and a new low for 2007.
World number one Justine Henin goes into the Australian Open as the overwhelming favourite after an inspired 2007, but there is no shortage of challengers. Among them is superstar defending champion Serena Williams, who stunned the tennis world by winning the title last year in her comeback event following an injury-plagued 2006.
Shaun Wright-Phillips scored a goal and forced an own-goal in injury time to give 10-man Chelsea a 2-1 win over Everton on Tuesday in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals. Wright-Phillips, who put Chelsea ahead 1-0 in the first half, duelled in front of the net for a high ball with Everton’s Joleon Lescott, who inadvertently knocked the ball into his own goal.
The belated, but soothing pronouncement from Bafana Bafana administrative manager Sipho Nkumane on Tuesday night that ”all the players are now in camp” must have sounded like music to the ears of coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. The last three players to arrive were Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, Maccabi Haifa fullback Tsepo Masilela and Bloemfontein Celtic’s Tumelo Nhlapo.
Venezuela President Hugo Chávez, in an interview with supermodel Naomi Campbell, predicted that the United States ”empire” is about to fall, called Jesus Christ history’s number one revolutionary and offered to pose topless. ”Why not? Touch my muscles!” the burly 53-year-old former paratrooper said.